The purpose of this prospective study was to identify factors in 66 spouses and adult child caregivers of person's with Alzheimer's disease prior to the death that predicted higher levels of grief in bereavement. A hierarchical regression model was tested. Predeath grief, dysfunctional coping, depression, social support, and decreased positive states of mind explained 54.7% of the variance in postdeath grief. Factors that contributed significantly to postdeath grief included predeath grief and depression. Results from this study indicate that risk factors for postdeath grief can be predicted prior to the death.

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The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify whether meaning reconstruction was associated with indicators of bereavement adaptation in 66 spouses and adult child caregivers of person’s with Alzheimer’s disease. A cross-sectional mixed-methods design was used. Hierarchical regression models were used to examine whether meaning making predicted grief, depression, and positive and states of mind in the sample. Qualitative interviews were conducted to gain further knowledge about ways in which Alzheimer’s disease caregivers construct meaning during bereavement. The majority of participants reported experiencing positive aspects of meaning reconstruction. Benefit-finding and identity change contributed to reductions in grief, and benefit-finding contributed to positive states of mind. Being a spouse and female gender contributed to increased grief and depression. Bereaved caregivers who are at risk for high levels of grief should be targeted for grief therapy interventions that foster meaning making.

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A cross sectional, multi-site study of boys aged 6-17 years with haemophilia was undertaken in children and their parents in the UK. Age appropriate questionnaires were completed including socio-demographic data, questions about haemophilia and sports activities, HRQoL (KINDL, Haemo-QoL) and subjective physical performance (HEP-TEST-Q). Clinical data including orthopaedic status were collected. RESULTS: Eighty four haemophilia boys, mean age of 11.52 years (SD=3.4), were enrolled. 92.3% had haemophilia A, 51.9% were severely affected; 66.3% received prophylaxis and had a good orthopaedic status (M=1.55±3.6). 90.5% participated in regular sporting activity. HRQoL in children was generally good, with highest impairments in boys aged 8-12 years. Boys aged 8-17 years reported good physical performance (M=80.0, SD=16.0) with highest impairments in the dimensions 'endurance' and 'mobility'. Children with a more sedentary lifestyle had more haemophilia-related days lost than those with a less sedentary life style (p<.032). Older boys not doing sport showed more impairments in the HRQoL dimensions 'feeling' (p<.014) and 'family' (p<.013). Children doing sport reported better physical performance in all domains of the HEP-Test-Q (p<.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Boys doing sport had significantly better physical performance and HRQoL than boys not doing sport. Sedentary life style had a negative impact on the subjective physical performance and number of days lost of children. Doing sport did not increase the risk of bleeding or developing target joints. Encouraging haemophilia boys to participate in sport will have a direct impact on their overall HRQoL.

An experiment was conducted to determine how effective a prepaid, nonmonetary incentive would be at inducing college students to participate in a self-administered survey. The experiment was conducted on two college campuses in Los Angeles County.  As students exited their campus library, an interviewer approached them for an interview.  Half of those approached were offered a prepaid, nonmonetary incentive; the other half were not. Contrary to expectations, the prepaid, nonmonetary incentive dampened the response rate to the survey. Explanations are offered as to why the incentive was counterproductive.

A199 simple random sample of 46 patients distributed throughout the country to develop validation of measuring instruments : (i) Fact-Lym scale, (ii) Facit-fatigue scale. As a comparison scale items, was applied a vision analogous scale (VAS), wich assessed the homogeneity of the questions by averaging all correlations between all items to see effectively will be consistent. Translations of the instruments were not needed as these are in Spanish language. Results: From a total of 46 respondents, 2.17% was not able to answer. Through each having dimensions of the scales, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was estimated using the results of the VAS, obtaining a 84.19 alpha coefficient for overall fitness, 87.00 for family and social environment, 64.3 for emotional state, personal functioning 78.17, other concerns 90.82 and to the level of fatigue 92.53. Results suggest high levels of reliability above 75% (except the dimension of emotional state) of the scales and the results obtained through this. ConClusions: There is a strong correlation between the scores of the items of the Fact-Lym and Facit-fatigue scale regarding the estimate of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, thereby it's considered reliable for use in patients with myeloproliferative syndromes in Colombia.